Railway



March 14, 1939. J. B. sTRAUss RAILWAY Filed Maron 29', 1957 F l G. l.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT v10j-FFICE RAILWAY V-Jowseph B. .'Strauss, San Francisco, .Calif.; Annette `.Strauss, John Sparks, and Henry C. Clauseni executors of said Joseph B.`Strauss, deceased @Application March 29, 1937,1Serial No. '1333.600

5 Claims. (Cl. `2384) This invention"relates-to improvements in railways and more particularly to the structure and arrangement of tracks and runways on the road beds thereof.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a roadway adaptable to the combined use of the conventional flanged railway rolling stock, and motortrucks and other automotive vehicles adapted to highway traffic on resilient tires.

Another object is to adapt the conventional railway to such combined traflic without -disturbing the cross ties, ballast, and the road bed.

Another object is to reduce the overhead expense of railways by utilizing the right of way between trains for motorcar traic.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description progresses.

Door-to-door delivery of merchandise by heavy hauling motortrucks. has brought about congestion of trailic upon highways originally intended for lighten automobile traffic. Costly rights of way for railways which are expensive to keepI upv are maintained for the occasional passenger or freight trains, between the headway of which it is practicable to interpose motor tralic on fixed schedules in accordance with this invention.

In this specification and the accompanying drawing the invention is disclosed in its preferred form. But it is to be understood that it is not limited to this form, because it may be embodied in other forms within the purview of the claims following the description.

In the one sheet of drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse section of a combined rail-runway constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar View of a modification of the same.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail in side elevation showing the incline derailing means.

In detail, the construction illustrated in the drawing, referring first to Fig. l, comprises the conventional roadbed I, having the cross ties 2 embedded therein and ballasted in the usual manner. The longitudinal stringers 3, 3 are laid on top of the cross ties 2 to which they are properly spiked. The conventional steel rails 4, 4 are set on top of these stringers and held by the usual spikes 5, 5. It is the general practice in heavy load traflic to interpose plates between the base of the rails and the cross ties; this should be done as at 5', Fig. 3, between the rails and the stringers 3, 3 to prevent undue wear on the stringers by the rails.

loppos'itefsi'd'es of -the rails 4 -for the tires l, 1 of motor vehicles, as distinguished yfrom rail traffic. These runways may be timbers similar to the stringers 3, or embossed metal oor plating 8, arranged as shown in Fig. 2.

To brace the assembly shown in Fig. 1, it i advisable to provide the U shape braces 9, 9 at intervals. These braces are interposed between the base of the rails 4, extend over the runways 6, 6 and down to the tops of the cross ties 2, to which they are attached by the spikes l0, lll, which are toed inward to pull down on the braces to draw the stringers, runway timbers, and ties together. The lengths of the runways 6, 6 should be such that the modulus of assembly will bring the ends of these timbers beneath the width of the braces 9, to prevent the ends of the timbers splintering or otherwise interfering with the rubber tires l. These braces should be repeated at intervals throughout the length of the runways to prevent warping and twisting of the timbers with respect to each other and the cross ties 2.

The duel tire arrangement shown in Fig. 1 is common practice in heavy duty motortrucks. 'I'he flange disc Il can be interposed between each dual set of tires; these discs are adapted to bear against the inner edges of the heads of the rails 4, 4 to guide the tires 1, 'l and maintain them in proper alinement with the runways 6, 6 as required. As a further precaution the spreaders I2, I2 can be large enough in diameter so that their peripheries can rest upon the tops of the rails 4, should one or more of the tires l collapse. This will in an emergency permit the truck to proceed to a point where the Vehicle can pull ofi of the right of way.

At switch points the runways E, 6 can be inclined as at 6', see Fig. 3, similarly to derailing switches, to lift the motortruck tires 1, 'I to near the level of the tops of the rails, which will clear the flange discs ll, Il from the rails and permit the motor vehicle to proceed under control of its own steering gear. Other forms of guiding the tires by means of the rails may be provided upon the motortrucks., which may be attached and detached from the trucks as desired.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A railway having a pair of interspaced rails; runways adjacent and below the level of the tops of said rails; in combination with a vehicle hav-r ing wheels supported upon resilient tires adapted to run upon said runways; and guiding anges on said wheels coaxial. with and above the supporting treads of said tires and guided by said rails.

2. A railway having a pair of inter'spaced rails; runways on the opposite sides and below the level of the tops of said rails respectively; in combination with a Vehicle having wheels with twin resilient supporting tires adapted to run on said runways on opposite sides of said rails'respectively; and a coaxial flange on said wheels between each of said twin tires of less diameter than said tires and guided by said rails.

3. A railway having cross ties ballasted in a roadbed; steel rails spaced apart on said ties and adapted to carry the load of steel tired vehicles operating thereon; separate runways on said ties adjacent to said steel rails and below the level of the tops thereof and adapted to carry the load of vehicles having pneumatic tired wheels operating thereon; guide means on said wheels above the treads of said pneumatic tires coacting with said steel rails and adapted to guide said pneumatic tired wheels.

Y 4. A railway having a pair of interspaced rails; runways on opposite sides and below the tops of each of said'rails respectively; in combination with a vehicle having dual wheels arranged on opposite sides of said rails and resting upon said runways respectively; and guiding anges between each of said dual wheels and engaging the sides of their respective rails above said run- Ways. Y

5. A railway having cross ties ballasted in a roadbed; interspaced traction plateY runways supported upon said cross ties; rails arranged intermediate the width 'of and extending above said runways; in combination with a vehiclerhav-v ing dual wheels adapted to run on said runways on opposite sides of said rails respectively; and guidelanges between said wheels adapted to engage the sides of their respective rails above the treads of said wheels.

JOSEPH B. STRAUSS. 

